Colts Fall in 5-Set Thriller to RV Hudson Valley

MIDDLETOWN – The SUNY Orange women’s volleyball team jumped out to an early lead Tuesday night, but was unable to hold off Hudson Valley Community College as the Vikings rallied to knock off the Colts in five sets. The loss drops the Colts to 14-2 and ends their five-match winning streak, while Hudson Valley improves to 21-3 on the year.

Hudson Valley came into the match receiving votes in the latest national poll, having been ranked as high as eighth in the nation in recent weeks, but that did not scare the Colts as they jumped out to a commanding early lead, taking the first two sets 25-13, 25-17. The Vikings however, would not go down without a fight. The third and fourth set were back and forth, tightly contested battles that the Vikings won by identical 25-20 scores.

The fifth and final set was even closer, but ultimately did not go the Colts way as the Vikings held on to win 15-13 to complete the comeback.

Freshman Ava Messina led the Colts with 16 kills and 18 assists to go along with a career-high 13 digs to post her first career-triple double.
Angelina Rivera recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 14 digs to go along with a team-high seven service aces . Brianna Juncaj was the third Colt with double-digit kills, recording 12 kills on 23 attempts.

The Colts are back in action Thursday as they host the Mid-Hudson Conference Tournament. The Colts are matched up with Rockland in the semifinals while Dutchess and Westchester square off on the other side of the bracket. Both semifinals are scheduled for 5:30 pm starts.